Merchandise Displayers and Window Trimmers
Also called: Display Associate, Merchandiser, Visual Merchandiser (VM), Visual Merchandising SpecialistPlan and erect commercial displays, such as those in windows and interiors of retail stores and at trade exhibitions.
On a phone, press and hold a picture to save it to Photos.
opens your phone's share sheet, where you can save both to Photos
What the data says: AI could halve the time on 11 of its 24 tasks, and jobs are projected to grow 2.7% by 2035. How to think about this →
About this projection
BLS builds AI into its projections where the research supports it: “BLS generally applies adjustments based on this research conservatively, where there is convincing evidence for a change.”
It also notes a limit: “BLS projection methods are not designed to capture extremely rapid technological change.”
On its AI exposure groups, BLS says exposure “does not imply job loss.”
Recent conditions
- In 2024, 4.0% of people in this work were unemployed, against 3.8% across all occupations Census ACS 2024
- From Sep 2025 to Aug 2026, 9.1 hires for every 10 job openings in retail trade, which employs about 35% of people in this work, against 7.3 across all industries BLS JOLTS
One box per opening, filled for each hire; hires beyond the openings are added in a lighter shade. Higher can mean openings get filled, or that people leave often; lower, that jobs go unfilled, or hiring is slow.9.1 this industry7.3 all industries
Median pay by state BLS OEWS May 2025, state estimates
Tap a state for its figures.
Median pay in every state
| State | Median | Middle half earn | Jobs |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alabama | $42,840 | $33,730 to $53,290 | 2,900 |
| Alaska | $46,530 | $40,950 to $48,670 | 540 |
| Arizona | $39,630 | $36,160 to $44,330 | 3,130 |
| Arkansas | $36,230 | $31,770 to $40,500 | 1,670 |
| California | $47,010 | $40,800 to $50,430 | 17,840 |
| Colorado | $43,230 | $38,790 to $48,780 | 3,650 |
| Connecticut | $42,410 | $38,220 to $51,390 | 1,450 |
| Delaware | $37,710 | $33,880 to $42,600 | 490 |
| District of Columbia | $39,460 | $36,660 to $45,320 | 250 |
| Florida | $36,220 | $31,980 to $42,550 | 14,360 |
| Georgia | $37,050 | $31,250 to $46,870 | 7,790 |
| Hawaii | $40,370 | $37,360 to $46,730 | 990 |
| Idaho | $38,770 | $37,130 to $41,990 | 1,570 |
| Illinois | $40,270 | $37,280 to $45,790 | 3,090 |
| Indiana | $36,510 | $33,680 to $46,070 | 2,610 |
| Iowa | $39,680 | $36,260 to $46,870 | 1,860 |
| Kansas | $39,960 | $35,640 to $45,410 | 1,580 |
| Kentucky | $35,820 | $28,950 to $44,300 | 2,460 |
| Louisiana | $34,860 | $29,490 to $42,450 | 2,360 |
| Maine | $45,750 | $35,290 to $49,210 | 910 |
| Maryland | $43,370 | $37,910 to $48,190 | 1,920 |
| Massachusetts | $43,290 | $37,050 to $51,590 | 3,360 |
| Michigan | $36,710 | $33,770 to $42,920 | 5,050 |
| Minnesota | $45,730 | $37,810 to $49,140 | 1,820 |
| Mississippi | $33,040 | $28,560 to $36,510 | 1,760 |
| Missouri | $42,890 | $36,510 to $48,170 | 2,700 |
| Montana | $43,700 | $38,240 to $49,380 | 580 |
| Nebraska | $37,980 | $34,640 to $44,330 | 680 |
| Nevada | $39,440 | $34,460 to $45,510 | 2,300 |
| New Hampshire | $40,880 | $38,510 to $44,680 | 690 |
| New Jersey | $38,200 | $36,170 to $45,710 | 5,120 |
| New Mexico | $36,550 | $32,460 to $40,500 | 880 |
| New York | $43,660 | $37,800 to $54,670 | 10,430 |
| North Carolina | $37,960 | $34,320 to $45,770 | 6,040 |
| North Dakota | $42,080 | $39,400 to $45,290 | 350 |
| Ohio | $37,850 | $34,320 to $45,430 | 6,930 |
| Oklahoma | $38,380 | $33,460 to $43,850 | 1,570 |
| Oregon | $45,200 | $38,760 to $53,700 | 1,220 |
| Pennsylvania | $37,740 | $34,040 to $45,950 | 5,230 |
| Puerto Rico | $29,400 | $22,950 to $32,220 | 60 |
| Rhode Island | $37,610 | $31,270 to $50,230 | not published |
| South Carolina | $36,810 | $33,930 to $43,680 | 2,550 |
| South Dakota | $40,190 | $37,690 to $46,670 | 320 |
| Tennessee | $34,500 | $30,230 to $38,380 | 4,710 |
| Texas | $37,260 | $33,510 to $44,360 | 14,730 |
| Utah | $39,930 | $36,990 to $43,520 | 1,160 |
| Vermont | $44,850 | $41,380 to $47,930 | 180 |
| Virgin Islands | $27,520 | $26,270 to $29,950 | 130 |
| Virginia | $37,750 | $32,020 to $46,220 | 4,450 |
| Washington | $48,780 | $43,830 to $56,580 | 2,550 |
| West Virginia | $36,660 | $32,220 to $38,120 | 750 |
| Wisconsin | $39,510 | $35,760 to $47,440 | 2,930 |
| Wyoming | $38,790 | $36,490 to $43,070 | 220 |
Nationally: $39,390. Shades run from the lowest state median to the highest; a territory below that range takes the lightest. How to read this
How AI touches the work
What AI could speed up, task by task, and where people already use it.
AI could halve the time on 11 of its 24 tasks
| AI rating | Its main tasks | Share of Claude conversations May 2026 |
|---|---|---|
| Not much | Change or rotate window displays, interior display areas, or signage to reflect changes in inventory or promotion. | Not published |
| Not much | Place prices or descriptive signs on backdrops, fixtures, merchandise, or floor. | Not published |
| AI + software | Consult with store managers, buyers, sales associates, housekeeping staff, or engineering staff to determine appropriate placement of displays or products. | Not published |
| AI alone | Plan commercial displays to entice and appeal to customers. | under 0.01% |
| Not much | Assemble or set up displays, furniture, or products in store space, using colors, lights, pictures, or other accessories to display the product. | Not published |
| Not much | Arrange properties, furniture, merchandise, backdrops, or other accessories, as shown in prepared sketches. | Not published |
See all 24 tasks
| AI + software | Develop ideas or plans for merchandise displays or window decorations. | under 0.01% |
| Not much | Select themes, lighting, colors, or props to be used. | Not published |
| Not much | Install booths, exhibits, displays, carpets, or drapes, as guided by floor plan of building or specifications. | Not published |
| Not much | Take photographs of displays or signage. | Not published |
| AI + software | Collaborate with others to obtain products or other display items. | Not published |
| Not much | Maintain props, products, or mannequins, inspecting them for imperfections, doing touch-ups, cleaning up after customers, or applying preservative coatings as necessary. | Not published |
| AI + software | Consult with advertising or sales staff to determine type of merchandise to be featured and time and place for each display. | Not published |
| AI alone | Supervise or train staff members on daily tasks, such as visual merchandising. | Not published |
| Not much | Construct or assemble displays or display components from fabric, glass, paper, or plastic, using hand tools or woodworking power tools, according to specifications. | Not published |
| AI + software | Attend training sessions or corporate planning meetings to obtain new ideas for product launches. | Not published |
| Not much | Dress mannequins for displays. | Not published |
| AI + software | Obtain plans from display designers or display managers and discuss their implementation with clients or supervisors. | Not published |
| Not much | Store, pack, and maintain inventory records of props, products, or display items. | Not published |
| Not much | Install decorations, such as flags, banners, festive lights, or bunting on or in building, street, exhibit hall, or booth. | Not published |
| AI alone | Instruct sales staff in color coordination of clothing racks or counter displays. | Not published |
| AI + software | Prepare sketches, floor plans, or models of proposed displays. | Not published |
| AI + software | Use computers to produce signage. | Not published |
| Not much | Cut out designs on cardboard, hardboard, or plywood, according to motif of event. | Not published |
Ordered by how important O*NET's respondents rate each task (1 to 5) times the share who say it is part of their job. The ordering is ours. 2 of the 24 have a published share of Claude conversations; “not published” means too few conversations for Anthropic to publish a figure.
Where people already use AI
The tasks above say what AI could speed up. This shows what people are using it for. Its 24 tasks fall under 14 work activities that many occupations share, and Microsoft counted how often each one came up in 200,000 conversations with its Copilot assistant in 2024.
- #14 Create visual designs or displays
- #16 Create artistic designs or performances
- #25 Communicate with others about specifications or project details
- and 2 more, in the table below
| Work activity | This occupation's tasks under it | People asked AI for help in 10,000 conversations |
AI did it for them in 10,000 conversations |
|---|---|---|---|
| Arrange displays or decorations | |||
| Create visual designs or displays | |||
| Communicate with others about specifications or project details | |||
| Communicate with others about business strategies | |||
| Train others on operational or work procedures | |||
| Replenish inventories of materials, equipment, or products | |||
| Create artistic designs or performances | |||
| Monitor external affairs, trends, or events |
Show all 14 activities
| Select materials or equipment for operations or projects | |||
| Create decorative objects or parts of objects | |||
| Operate audiovisual or related equipment | |||
| Maintain operational records | |||
| Assemble products or work aids | |||
| Develop business or marketing plans |
How people in this work use Claude
What people in this work made with Claude % of conversations
- Ideas or a brainstorm20%
- A plan or strategy20%
- A design mockup12%
- A document or report8%
- Advice or a recommendation7%
How they worked with Claude
65% of these conversations were about work. Anthropic Economic Index, May 2026.
How to read this
Work activities come from O*NET, which links every task to the broader activities it involves. Microsoft's figures are for the activity across everyone who used Copilot, not for merchandise displayers and window trimmers specifically. Copilot is a general chat assistant; dedicated coding tools are not included, so programming help is under-counted here. Activities are listed by how many of this occupation's tasks fall under them.
The task ratings say whether AI could halve the time a task takes: on its own (“AI alone”), or with software built on it (“AI + software”). They were made by people in 2023 (Eloundou et al.). Claude's share is the task's share of all Claude.ai conversations in May 2026; Anthropic doesn't publish a task with too few conversations. None of these add up to the BLS exposure group, which combines five research measures.
More in the Guide: task ratings · task order · work activities · Copilot figures · Claude
High exposure doesn't mean fewer jobs
BLS projects most occupations in its two most exposed groups to grow: 141 of 206 rated Very high and 165 of 206 rated High. Each dot is one of the 831 occupations BLS rates.
Career moves into and out of this occupation
From moves between occupations found in online resumes, 2002–2016. Career changes only: a first job after school isn't a move.
Where people moved next
of 135,445 moves out
- 1 First-Line Supervisors of Retail Sales Workers High -3.7% 8%
- 2 Sales Representatives, Wholesale and Manufacturing, Except Technical and Scientific Products Very high -0.9% 5%
- 3 Retail Salespersons Very high -0.3% 5%
- 4 Managers, All Other (2010 group) an older group BLS has since split; no exposure group today 5%
- 5 Customer Service Representatives Very high -5.3% 4%
Where people moved in from
of 132,054 moves in
- 1 Retail Salespersons Very high -0.3% 8%
- 2 First-Line Supervisors of Retail Sales Workers High -3.7% 7%
- 3 Customer Service Representatives Very high -5.3% 5%
- 4 Cashiers High -6.5% 4%
- 5 Sales Representatives, Wholesale and Manufacturing, Except Technical and Scientific Products Very high -0.9% 4%
Resumes over-represent younger, white-collar job-seekers and moves into management. Schubert, Stansbury and Taska (resume data).
Education and training for the occupation
O*NET survey of workers in this occupation
- 39% high school
- 9% postsecondary certificate
- 20% some college
- 15% associate's
- 18% bachelor's
O*NET 31.0 survey of workers in this occupation · 24 people answered.
Census survey (American Community Survey)
- 5% less than high school
- 29% high school
- 27% some college
- 8% associate's
- 25% bachelor's
- 5% master's
- 1% doctorate
Census ACS 2024, all workers in this occupation · 308 people surveyed.
Why the two can differ
O*NET asks about 20 people in each occupation, which makes its shares uncertain, but it reports the exact occupation and counts certificates. The Census survey reaches thousands, but it groups some occupations together and counts degrees only. More in the Guide
Median pay by highest degree full-time, year-round · Census ACS 2024, all workers in this occupation
1 program: Fashion Modeling.
Jobs that require a credential BLS Occupational Requirements Survey 2023
BLS publishes no credential figures for this occupation.
Look up certifications, training and licenses U.S. Department of Labor
- Certification Finder ↗ certifications CareerOneStop lists for this occupation
- Training Finder ↗ schools and programs, nationwide; narrow the place there
- License Finder ↗ licenses by state
- Apprenticeship Finder ↗ DOL lists 2 registered apprenticeships in this occupation (DECORATOR (Any Ind); DISPLAYER, MERCHANDISE). Apprenticeship.gov can't be linked to one occupation, so search for “Merchandise Displayers and Window Trimmers” there.
These open in a new tab and send only the occupation's public code. More in the Guide
BLS AI exposure categories (Aug 2026) · BLS Employment Projections 2025–35 · O*NET 31.0 · Task ratings: Eloundou et al., Science (2024) · Microsoft "Working with AI" v1.1 · Anthropic Economic Index (2026-06-26) · Schubert, Stansbury and Taska · NCES CIP–SOC · Census ACS 2024 · BLS JOLTS
See it online, and explore any career: https://www.pathmosaic.com/card/27-1026.00